Squirrel feeders and wildlife feeders in general are known in the art. Examples of such wildlife feeders include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,537,429; 3,638,617; and 4,632,062.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,537,429 discloses an animal and bird feeder in which ears of corn project laterally from a vertical member which is rotatable around the horizontal axis, and is mounted to a tree trunk. Animals, such as squirrels, will stand on a platform mounted on the tree trunk just below the vertical member, typically a disk, having ears of corn projecting therefrom. When the squirrels are finished eating one ear of corn they will reach up and pull down another, causing the disk to rotate.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,638,617 discloses a deer and wild turkey feeder. This patent discloses a granular feed dispenser for animals including a hopper body with a lower downwardly opening outlet and a generally horizontal panel member disposed beneath the outlet. The panel located below the outlet is set on a axle which may be rotated to dispense corn and other feed falling from the hopper body onto the panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,062 discloses a squirrel feeder which includes a frame mounted perpendicularly to a support bar. The bar is rotatably connected to the frame and the frame is attached to the trunk of a tree. Food items are attached to the end of the bar and a squirrel, running out on the frame and climbing on the support bar to get to the food, will cause the support bar to rotate.
The above-described animal feeders all have some advantages. They are fairly simple to construct. They also require some ingenuity on behalf of the animal to obtain the food.
Applicant, however, has provided, an invention that incorporates some of the simplicity of the foregoing inventions but provides for more action by the animal. It also incorporates interaction of the animal with the feeder to dispense food therefrom. It provides for, in addition to these features, visual entertainment for the viewer as a squirrel, or other animal, works to dispense the food.
More specifically, Applicant provides a vertically mounted rotatable wheel cage with a dispensing apparatus and dispensing container adjacent thereto, which wheel cage, when rotated, as by a squirrel treading on the inner or outer surface thereof, will cause the dispensing apparatus from dispensing food from the dispensing container.